5/7 Start Date - looking for a buddy

[emilyelowe]

CRAVINGS ARE BACK! Rawr!  

Apparently, my lunch wasn't big enough and I am feeling very hungry at work right now and don't have any compliant snacks with me so I am posting to stop myself from eating all the things. Being hungry has also thrown me into a bit of a craving craze. Ahhh!!!  I am promising you wonderful strangers that I will not fall off the wagon. 

Also, confirmed that dates are a known irritant when it comes to GI stuff and now I'm wondering if the sugar is also responsible for the bad sleep and the terrible cravings happening AT THIS VERY MOMENT. Will be avoiding dates for the rest of this Whole30.

Great advice for Steph, @Susabella627! 

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

Great resolve @emilyelowe! I know you can do it! That sucks about the dates though. Hope things get better after banishing them from your diet. 

[Steph the Desert Rat]

Thank you, thank you, @emilyelowe, @NoneOtherThanAmy and @Susabella627!!  So grateful for feedback and ideas. 

I'll ride it all out--no stipping early for me!  I have found with other cleanses or food plans I've done in the past, that I never do reach that energy nirvana others talk about....wonder why?

I find I'm not feeling hungry, yet when it's time to eat, I eat and eat and eat until I feel satisfied. Very backwards from where I was even last week. So bizarre. 

And I am grateful for the camping link!  Thank you so very much. 

[AB_MN]

Hi, sounds like most of us are hanging in there but having our own 'struggles'.  I'm grateful for this group.  

@Steph the Desert Rat - I too am really not that hungry at most meals but feel like I need to eat.    Hard to explain.  You'd think we'd be really hungry after 5-6 hours (from a grazing background I still find it hard to believe I can go that long without eating).   Good luck camping - sounds like a challenge but at least you have some moral support in your SIL. 

@emilyelowe - don't fall off.  We need you - you have the BEST most positive outlook of anyone!  So refreshing.   Think of your date-discovery as a NSV.  I mean that's why we are doing this - to learn what works and doesn't work for us, right?  I know my first W30 I ate alot of honeycrisp apples and almond butter.  It was compliant (I kind of misunderstood the part about not snacking that time around).  I think that did a number on my stomach after while.     And, so weird about the mid-night poo.  Sorry, just remembered you wrote that.  

I had a few blackberries today and they were almost too sweet.   I have to say I'm not having tiger blood either.  At some point in my life, I need to cut back on caffeine.  I know that it's out of my system by late afternoon and once the stress levels from work settled down, I'm left with no energy.    I think without that 2-3 cups of coffee each morning, my energy levels would be more stable.  Oh, but I just love it.  Even black.  I just so enjoy that first cup each morning before everyone else is up.  

Hang in there each of you.  Here's a photo my son took 2 days ago in northern MN.  Yes, we have wicked cold winters and terrible mosquitos in the summer, but it's still so pretty with all the lakes.  For sure, not as cute as Emily's dog but still hope it brightens your day.  

 

 

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

@AB_MN WOW! What a gorgeous picture! I love the quiet, wild areas of MN and WI (I'm originally from WI). I bet there are loons in that area. I love listening to loon calls. They're so wild and haunting at the same time.  Now you're making me homesick! (Only for the summers. I do NOT miss those winters.)  

I swear I just read a thread with some links on fat adaptation, but now I can't find them. One of the things I learned about being fat adapted is that our hunger signals change. We no longer get the 'sharp' hunger pangs and rather get something more like 'nudges' telling us to eat. I wonder if that's an explanation for some of the lack of hunger that several people are referring to. 

I'm starting the final 1/3 of the 30 days today!  Yay! Clothes are fitting better and I'm loving the choices I'm making. 

[AB_MN]

@NoneOtherThanAmy - yes, WI landscape is very similar to MN.  glad you liked it.   That is super interesting about being fat adapted and would explain quite a bit.  The nudge is much preferable (and less desperate feeling) than the cravings or hunger pangs I am used to.

I started reading up on re-introduction today.  I've not managed that well in past.  I just started in on ALL categories (alcohol, grains, sugar, etc) on day 31 and the dragon WOKE UP.   So, I'm really hoping to add in 1 thing for a few days to see how it goes and notice changes to NSV (e.g. acne returns, more tired, etc).   Book also talked about noticing the difference between say eating something stand alone versus with a meal.  Will a cookie after dinner affect you differently than cookie mid-day on its own.  You get the idea.  And, to journal about it so you can see patterns and draw conclusions.   Anyway, something to start thinking about.   Anyone want to keep at this as a group after day 30?  

Also, I think it's important to pay attention to quantity.  I didn't eat enough at breakfast yesterday and it threw the entire day off.  I had a smaller breakfast and was then famished by 10:00am so I ate my lunch.  That also was too small and I had to have a (just barely compliant) snack to get through afternoon.  I'm not beating myself up.  They say to eat if you are hungry so I did.  But, it was a good reminder that we do need a certain amount to make it from meal to meal and to be aware of that amount.  

[emilyelowe]

6 hours ago, NoneOtherThanAmy said:

@AB_MNI swear I just read a thread with some links on fat adaptation, but now I can't find them. One of the things I learned about being fat adapted is that our hunger signals change. We no longer get the 'sharp' hunger pangs and rather get something more like 'nudges' telling us to eat. I wonder if that's an explanation for some of the lack of hunger that several people are referring to. 

^ That is a really good point! I hadn't even really thought about that even though I have read about fat adaptation.

Thank you all so much for all your encouragement yesterday! Those are such kind words, @AB_MN. I made it! Phew! Yesterday was a REALLY rough day, I didn't feel good all day, even once I got home and had a protein and fat-rich meal. I skipped the dates and nut butter, though, went to bed with the sun and woke up with it, too, so I am feeling very hopeful today. Just goes to show that even following all the rules doesn't guarantee health because we are all different. 

Funny, I lived in Madison, WI for three years also. The sky is so beautiful there and we had no issues with mosquitoes compared to Ohio. I have to get my yard treated here! Yuck!

I DEFINITELY would like to keep using this thread during re-introduction. I haven't managed that well in the past either and I think the accountability will really help me, plus your experiences might help me notice my own symptoms that I otherwise would miss. I'm starting with sugar by itself (maple syrup brussel sprouts, candied almonds, jerky with cane sugar, etc) because one of my biggest goals is getting rid of cravings. I know sugar impacts me but I'm curious if it just causes a headache or if it also related to my Sugar Dragon. I think carbs are worse for my Sugar Dragon than actual sugar but want to check. I think knowing will help me be more cautious with added sugar during Food Freedom. SO, sugar enters the picture on June 6! I have it all mapped out on a calendar already.  Happy to share a pic if anyone is interested. It's at home on the fridge. 

And YES @AB_MN, I am finding I need to pay more attention to quantity also. I'm having a little trouble at breakfast because of that, actually. I LOVE eggs but the other things I look forward to in the morning are potatoes, sweet potatoes, or fruit (strawberries are in season!) so I am afraid it is too carb dense and I am going to overwhelm my system with all that blood sugar after being fasted during the night. What are other people doing for breakfast? I think next week I'm going to make some bacon as my fat source to add a little more fat into the mix. I often have avocados with other meals so I don't necessarily want to do that with eggs every day. Do you think the egg yolk has enough fat for the meal?

I'm also on Day 20, @NoneOtherThanAmy! Whoo hoo! 

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Stay strong at those BBQs! 

[ladyshanny]

7 hours ago, NoneOtherThanAmy said:

I swear I just read a thread with some links on fat adaptation, but now I can't find them. One of the things I learned about being fat adapted is that our hunger signals change. We no longer get the 'sharp' hunger pangs and rather get something more like 'nudges' telling us to eat. I wonder if that's an explanation for some of the lack of hunger that several people are referring to. 

 

Yes, you're right. Once you're fat adapted there's no more "hangry". No stabbing, shooting stomach pains. It's more like you're just ready to eat. Not to say people don't get hungry or that their stomach doesn't start to feel hungry, mine does right now! It's just not as noticeable as "I MUST EAT RIGHT NOW OR PEOPLE WILL DIE!". Sometimes if people don't recognize the hunger as being valid because it's not as intense, they decide they don't need to eat and that can morph into nausea as well as general appetite reduction. It becomes a viscous cycle. That's why, whether you necessarily think you FEEL hungry at the 4-5 hour mark or not, we tell people to eat.    

[AB_MN]

@ladyshanny - thank you.  It's fascinating how this all works.  I have so much to learn. 

@emilyelowe - bummer you aren't feeling so well.  hope that passes quickly.  Are you better today?  You asked about breakfast.  For me, eggs some days (like an omelet w/veggies) but often just left-overs.  Yesterday I had plain (cooked) ground beef from the night before, avocado and salsa all heated up and then a side of re-heated veggies.  I suppose it's weird to eat 'dinner' food for breakfast but I really never did like pancakes or cereal (just really hearty bread toasted).    Or, if you can find some compliant sausage, that would be easy and good.    I've tried the coconut milk in my coffee but have reverted to it black and added fat into my meal most days.    

One NSV from previous W30 was that in the last year or so, I do cook up more breakfast foods for my kids.  I realized how great it makes me feel to have a hearty breakfast w/protein and I realized sending them to school on a bowl of Frosted Flakes is a bad idea.  Now, my son will eat the same ground beef I'm having but in a tortilla with cheese and salsa for breakfast.  So, I do feel like my family is benefiting from the template and and breakfast concept.  

I have to say it's a holiday weekend and so nice out.  It'd be really nice to have a beer on the back deck.  Or wine.  But, I just opened a bottled of sparkling water (I was inspired by Emily's post of her water/journal) and dropped in a big chuck of lemon.   So, I hope I can stick to my resolve this weekend.  We also have 2 family gatherings/pot lucks.  So, you know I'm bringing some compliant items and will have to pick around everything else. I don't want to call attention to it as they wouldn't understand.  

Enjoy the 3-day weekend.  Stay in touch. 

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

@emilyelowe I hope today went better than yesterday. I'm glad you're still staying strong! As for breakfast, I usually do eggs, veggies, sausage and often add a potato or sweet potato, but it's split between two or three days. I keep forgetting to add fat, and I can always tell when I forget. I get hungry earlier when I forget.

@AB_MN yay for your NSV! Getting teens to eat a good breakfast is awesome! Good luck at your BBQs this weekend. 

I've had a craving for deviled eggs lately, so I made some for supper and added them to a salad. YUM! There are cucumbers, green peppers, and a lot of leafy greens under everything. 

 

[Susabella627]

Hi, 

Just checking in. We definitely need to continue this thread but heads up, I know the mods will ask us to move the thread to the reintroduction forum. Who ever moves the thread just post the link here. 

The fat adaptation makes so much sense, it just amazes me how quickly that happens. 

@AB_MN that picture was gorgeous thanks for sharing. I guess views like that do make those nasty winters worthwhile. 

@emilyeloweSo sorry you had a bad day, but way to turn it around and learn something about yourself in the process. I really hope today was better 

@NoneOtherThanAmy One word for you - YUMMY!

Happy memorial day everyone - stay strong we got this!!

[AB_MN]

@NoneOtherThanAmy- the eggs look amazing.   radishes as a nice splash of color. 

Found this blog about Tiger Blood per our conversation earlier this week.  https://whole30.com/2017/05/tiger-blood-help/

Happy Saturday.  SOOOOO excited for a 3 day weekend.  

[emilyelowe]

Good morning! Yesterday was so much better! Thanks!

I also got to confirm all my suspicions again last night, though. Just like we were talking about yesterday, my dinner wasn't big enough and I was hungry about 2 hours later. I was already super relaxed and lazy and we didn't have any leftovers so I ate a LARABAR (i.e. Dates and sugar). Sure enough, I slept poorly. What's really funny about all of this is after I did it I read the part in It Starts With Food where THEY EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME.  SO, needless to say, I need to build bigger dinners and stay away from the sugar... which I have just confirmed for the 15th time. Haha. It is really interesting to learn this about myself and I think because this is my third Whole30, my body is doing new things because it is "cleaner." So I guess I should be grateful for that?

Speaking of that, I am SO glad I decided to read It Starts With Food again! Especially while doing a W30. I feel like it is really helping my resolve so hoping that will stick with me and stay fresh in my mind during reintroduction. My husband and I had an interesting conversation about "balance," last night and I was like "I'm just telling you, if I introduce gluten and my world falls apart, I can no longer be your pizza buddy. So, yeah." Haha. So excited for reintro so I can just know for sure what I should and shouldn't eat! 

But first: let's make it through Memorial Day weekend. I am also craving a refreshing adult beverage, @AB_MN! I'm just hoping to stay busy with yard work, spring cleaning, and a day by the pool to distract from it. We just have one family cookout on Monday and my in-laws are super supportive of my W30, at least based on what they know. They're making homemade sweet potato fries instead of frozen. So that's sweet. 

Thanks for the  breakfast suggestions! I just love eggs and could probably eat them at every meal. But I need to recognize that maybe I just eat them at lunch or dinner and have leftovers for breakfast like you said to make sure I start the day off with a nice not-too-carby meal. 

Have a great weekend everybody! I really appreciate the support! 

[emilyelowe]

Thanks for sharing the tiger blood link. The article that is linked from the one you linked is particularly good. 

[Steph the Desert Rat]

So based on @NoneOtherThanAmy's recommendation, I laid off the nuts yesterday and -wala!- no intestinal/digestive issues yesterday!  Guess I need to back off of those babies for a while. I would have never guessed, as I'm a regular user of small amounts of nuts and nut butters. Thank you for the suggestion!  And I love the kabob and potatoes camping idea!  Again, thank you!

Amy, as well as @ladyshanny's info on fat adaptation makes a lot of sense to me. What do you think, @Susabella627?  Does it seem to fit your lack of appetite? I'm going to take a leap and say that's whats going on with my not-so-hungry days now.  I'll do some more research. 

Im also grateful for @emilyelowe and @AB_MN's feedback on Tiger's Blood.  Like I said earlier, I've done several meal plans or cleanses where that promised "super energy" never comes. I eat healthy and exercise regularly, so I'll be really bummed if my level now is as good as I'll ever get...but I saw a glimpse of what could be a few weeks ago.

I've wondered with my high intensity workouts if I'm not getting enough carbs to keep me up and going thru the day. I also recognize that I have been a life-long, hard-core night owl.  Being 46 now, I may need to start forcing myself to get to bed earlier... drat!

Thank you so much, ladies!  I appreciate each one of you for taking time to chime in and help me work my way thru this.  I'd love to continue on with all of you into reintroduction, AND I'm heavily considering continuing on to Day 45-60 to keep exploring.

Happy Memorial Day!  I'm grateful for this great country we live in, despite the craziness going on around us.

 

[AB_MN]

@Steph the Desert Rat - good news you figured out that one.  Mystery solved.  And, this thread is so helpful.  We went to a potluck today.  I had tons of veggies and a plain burger but was trying to get in some fat.  My only option was a handful of pine nuts.  My stomach has been killing me all afternoon.  I have not had many nuts this W30 so am going to lay off them for sure and maybe try that again experiment again next weekend.    I think it's great you are looking to extend your W30 a bit further.    

I've been wondering about all those people that say their clothes feel loser but they've not lost any weight.  How can that be?  Did they burn fat and gain a bit of muscle to overset the loss? 

 

[SugarcubeOD]

Just now, AB_MN said:

    

I've been wondering about all those people that say their clothes feel loser but they've not lost any weight.  How can that be?  Did they burn fat and gain a bit of muscle to overset the loss? 

 

Inflammation... When the inflammation in our gut goes down, the inflammation in our body goes down... you could think of it as swelling... when your cells are inflamed, they swell up... when the inflammation goes down, the swelling goes down and people's clothes fit better but the scale stays the same... this is PRECISELY why we have no weighing as a rule... because the scale number actually doesn't reflect reality.

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

I've been a little listless lately...I've been a little more tired than I have the past few weeks and a little achy. My GI issues also seem to  be creeping back in...  I keep telling myself that it's nearly that time of the month again, so these issues are probably related to that, but they seem to be dragging on longer than I'd expect. I'm upping my starchy carb intake to see if that'll help. I've heard that women may need some starchy carbs with every meal in the week before their period, so I'll give it a shot. I'm also dealing with some life stress (like trying to find a place that I can rent for 4-ish months at a reasonable rate, and worrying about the talk I have to give at my conference in June), so that can't be helping.

I went to help a friend with an experiment yesterday. Last time I helped her out, she bought me a gigantic chocolate cupcake. This time I said no desserts, but she was free to buy me some meat instead.  She bough me a grass-fed  steak and some chicken breasts.   I made the steak with a baked potato, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. So much YUM! OH and I made some ranch dressing last night. Unbelievably delicious! 

I think I'm going to head out for a walk and then may spend the rest of the afternoon on the couch watching Netflix while trying to finish up a few knitting projects.

[emilyelowe]

I've been having digestive issues this week too! This is really frustrating. My last W30 was BEAUTIFUL starting on Day 26 and last week I really thought I was over the hump (I was expecting good things to come sooner since my last W30 was so recent), but it seems like we're all in this weird relapse boat together. 

So I haven't done the dates and nuts thing in a few days obviously. But yesterday I had cabbage, chorizo, and onions in coconut oil for lunch (around 2) and did some yard work and got bloated around 5 after we came in and showered. I haven't been bloated in weeks! Argh! I don't normally eat cabbage so I want to think that's the culprit but I'm really trying to broaden my horizons and get more green leafy stuff in. Maybe I was dehydrated?

Today for breakfast I had a breakfast scramble (taco beef, onions, scallions) with red pepper sauce, sweet potatoes and pineapple and a little while after I was just kind of uncomfortable. Like I felt like I should look bloated even though I didn't. Kind of crampy. I also had brussel sprouts for the first time in a long time last night. 

This makes me wonder if I'm having too much fruit and other starchy veg because I have been eating a lot of sweet potatoes and we've had a lot more fruit in the house in the last week now that a lot more fruit is in season and on sale. I think I'm going to try to stay away from the sweet potatoes for a while and see how it goes. 

I've also been trying to pay more attention to the meal template lately, so maybe it's kind of like those first few days/weeks when your body is like "What is all this good stuff!?! What do I do with it!?!" 

I might post on the troubleshooting thread if I don't feel better tomorrow. 

Today I'm experimenting with making a chicken tomatillo soup and making NomNomPaleo's Mongolian beef. Yum!

@NoneOtherThanAmy What a great gift! My parents raise pigs, chickens, and steer and we got a freezer full of meat for Christmas. Best. Christmas. Gift. Ever. 

My husband and I are thinking about getting chickens so we can supplement the ridiculous number of eggs we eat. Anybody else dabbled in "gentlemen's farming," as my dad calls it? 

Happy Sunday ya'll! 

[MimiC]

  We have chickens in our yard for over 25 years, they are so easy to keep and the eggs are out of this world. Roosters are the only problem if you have neighbors or don't like their noise. They eat all scraps we have, and bugs from the yard. I would recommend it if you have the space. 

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

@emilyelowe I'm so glad we're all in this together. I would have been feeling much more discouraged if i hadn't known that others were struggling too. This group and the forum are such great resources. I am sorry you're not feeling the best though. I hope it passes quickly and you figure out what's going on. I often find that if I eat fruit with a meal I get gas and bloating, so I've been skipping fruit for the most part lately. Oh and a freezer full of meat? What a great present!

I am feeling much better today. I'm not sure if it was from all the starchy carbs yesterday or if it was because I really needed a relaxing "me" day, but my mood has improved quite a bit.  

I also feel like I had a huge NSV last night. I made some homemade BBQ sauce from ISWF and it was delicious. I am amazed at the number of recipes I have made that have been turning out so well. The mayo, ranch dressing, and BBQ sauce have all been way better than I was expecting. I feel like I've tried making sauces and other things in the past that just don't turn out as good as the store-bought versions and it feels like a huge waste of time and resources. Now I feel like I'm making versions that are BETTER than the store-bought versions and I am very happy with my decision to attempt making more sauces. I'm not sure if my taste buds are changing or if I'm using better recipes (and following them?), but I feel so accomplished.  

Hope everyone has been having a good holiday weekend and I hope you're surviving all the cookouts!

[AB_MN]

@NoneOtherThanAmy- love that your friend bought you meet as a thank you gift!  

I've been a bit 'down' lately which surprises me since I've started running again (usually a mood booster) and haven't drank (a mood depressor).  I found this old thread which is really interesting.  Basically, I am going to add in a bit more starchy veggies as I didn't have too many in my diet.   I hope that links works - if you read past her initial post, the moderators spell out how starchy carbs (in moderation) are needed for some people.   I have to admit I'm excited because I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweet potatoes.  If you slice them thin and back them (takes like an hour), with a bit of oil on the sheet, they are amazing.   You can also toss them into the microwave whole and cook (for my micro, it's 6 mins) and then scoop out the inside once they cool down.  

 

 

 

[AB_MN]

@NoneOtherThanAmy - looks like we are on at same time.  So, did you add starchy carbs back in and feel better?   

I agree, there are some pretty amazing recipes out there. Better, healthier (and probably less expensive) than store bought. 

[NoneOtherThanAmy]

@AB_MN Yes, it seems like that was the case. I hadn't been avoiding starchy carbs on purpose, but I think I ran out last week sometime, so I went probably 2-3 days with none. Then I had a full baked potato for dinner with my steak and the next day had a half a sweet potato with each meal. By that evening I was feeling much better. Thanks for that link. I'm going to read through some of those articles. I'm always curious as to how food can affect brain function.  

[Susabella627]

Happy Memorial Day, 

Sorry to hear about the problems you guys have been having but isn't it great to have each other to bounce off of. I really can't speak to either the blues or the digestive issues but @emilyelowe I know if I ate cabbage and onions and brussel sprouts I would definitely feel bloated (and a probably gasey too ) I love fruit and could eat it all day long but I try to limit it to two servings a day, and usually at breakfast and lunch. Then I have my starchy veg (sweet potato usually)  at dinner. 

I do tend to be a creature of habit and eat the same things which definitely leads to food boredom. @NoneOtherThanAmy you are inspiring me to try new things and kick this up a notch !!

@AB_MN I do hope you kick the blues and thanks for the links. Knowledge is power!! 

Have a great Day ALL